COP26: President Biden says China's failure to attend climate summit a 'big mistake'

Watch: COP26: US president lashes out at Russia and China over failure to attend COP26 climate summit

President Joe Biden has said Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping's failure to turn up to the COP26 climate summit is a "big mistake".

Addressing reporters at the end of the second day of the climate conference in Glasgow, the president of the United States said China has "walked away" on the biggest issue of our time.

"America showed up and decided to lead," he added.

President Biden urged world leaders to ensure it is "a decisive decade of action" when it comes to tackling global warming.

He told reporters that he had not seen any other two day period with as much progress on the issue of climate change as COP26 so far.

The US president added that the conference represents "an opportunity" for great progress.